WASHINGTON – Returning back home to Bender Arena where the Eagles' record is 2-0, the American University men's basketball team will host Mount St. Mary's in a 4:30 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Nov. 22 before the Thanksgiving break. AU will play three of its next four games at home before heading out on the road for a stretch of four straight contests.
 
Quick Info

• Date/Time: Wednesday, November 22; 4:30 pm
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Bender Arena)
• Series History: American leads, 37-32
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Dan Laing and Gordon Austin

Tickets

• A limited amount of premium location sideline tickets remain for Thursday's game, and can be purchased by clicking HERE. 
• Additionally, money-saving full-season tickets valid for admission to all 14 home games this 2023-24 campaign, as well as 10-voucher flex plans are still available by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at (202) 885-TIXX (8499).

Inside the Series

• American leads the all-time series against Mount St. Mary's, 37-32.
• The Eagles lead the series 18-13 at home while the teams are tied 15-15 in Emmitsburg, Md.
• Last year, American won 69-61 for its sixth-straight win in what became a nine-game streak, and did so on the road. 
• The year before, AU won in overtime at Mount St. Mary's, 72-66. • The Eagles have won three straight in the series after previously dropping three straight. 

What to Know About American

• The Eagles established home-court advantage last week with wins over Siena and NJIT to improve to 2-0 in Bender Arena this season. The scoring output was high as they averaged 82.5 ppg in those two contests.
• Senior forward Matt Rogers is the Patriot League Player of the Week after averaging 21.3 points per game and eight rebounds per game over the last three contests. He shot 58 percent from the field and had a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds in a win vs. NJIT.
• American led for over 27 minutes at Georgetown on Nov. 19, and never trailed by more than five points in the game. Late three-pointers by the Hoyas sent the game to overtime, and the Eagles' shooting went cold in the extra frame as they lost 88-83.
• First-year head coach Duane Simpkins now has two career victories and has brought a new energy to the program. The Eagles run a faster offense and so far are averaging eight more points per game than in 2022-23, and making 2.6 more 3-point field goals per game. Simpkins, hired at American in April, is familiar to fans in the DMV after playing at prep power DeMatha Catholic and for Gary Williams at Maryland, where he scored more than 1,100 points in the mid-1990s. 
• Junior guard Elijah Stephens (8.8 ppg) has dished at least seven assists in each of the last three games, and leads the Patriot League with 6.5 assists per game. 
• Rogers is leading the team with 15.6 points per game, followed by Sprouse at 10.4 ppg and sophomore Jermaine Ballisager Webb with 9.4 ppg.
• In the second half against Siena, the Eagles shot nearly 64 percent from long range. Sophomore Geoff Sprouse hit 4-of-8 three-pointers in the 78-58 win, finishing with 16 points. Rogers led all scorers with 19 points, and freshman Matt Mayock hit 4-of-8 for 10 points.

What to Know About Mount St. Mary's

• Like American, Mount St. Mary's is coming off a hard-fought loss at Georgetown over the weekend. The Mountaineers allowed the Hoyas to take an 11-point lead in the first four minutes, then played them even the rest of the way, falling 83-72 to drop to 1-2 on the young season.
• The Mount opened its season with a 68-53 loss at Maryland, then rebounded for a 74-60 victory over Coppin State at home in Emmitsburg on November 11.
• Freshman Dallas Hobbs recorded the first double-double for a Mount St. Mary's freshman since November 2017 when he put up 10 points and 10 rebounds at Georgetown on Saturday. Hobbs added five assists, becoming just the third Mountaineer with 10+ points, 10+ rebounds, and five-plus assists since 2010.
• The Mount was picked seventh in the annual MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Last year, it finished 13-20 overall and 8-12 in league play, finishing eighth in the MAAC in the Mountaineers' first season in the conference.
• Senior guard Dakota Leffew was named Preseason First Team All-MAAC. He leads this year's team with 12.0 points per game through three games, adding 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists a contest. Freshman guard De'Shayne Montgomery is also netting double figures, scoring 10.3 a game off the bench.
• Dan Engelstad is in his sixth season at The Mount. He led the squad to the 2021 NEC title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Keep Up With Us

• For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MBasketball), Facebook (/AU.MBasketball) and Instagram (@au_mbasketball).